Most of the treatment regimes of the past for cell proliferation diseases such as psoriasis and cancer utilize compounds which inhibit DNA synthesis. Such compounds are toxic to cells and their beneficial effects can be derived when they show selectivity to tumor cells. In recent years it has been discovered that a cell may become cancerous by virtue of the transformation of a portion of its DNA into an oncogene, i.e., a gene which, on activation, leads to the formation of malignant tumour cells (Bradshaw, Mutagenesis, 1986, 1:91). Several oncogenes encode tyrosine kinase enzymes and certain growth factor receptors are also tyrosine kinase enzymes (Larsen et al., Ann. Reports in Med. Chem. 1989, Chapt. 13).
Receptor tyrosine kinases are important in the transmission of biochemical signals which initiate cell replication. They possess an extra cellular binding domain for growth factors such as an epidermal growth factor and an intracellular portion which functions as a kinase to phosphorylate tyrosine amino acids in proteins and hence to influence cell proliferation. Members of the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases are mediators of cell growth, differentiation and survival that have been implicated in cancer. The receptors are over expressed in certain tumor cells. For example, it is known that such kinases are frequently present in common human cancers such as breast cancer (Sainsbury et al., Brit, J. Cancer, 1988, 58:458) and gastro intestinal cancers such colon, rectal and stomach cancers (Bolen et al., Oncogene Res., 1987, 1:149). It was discovered that Tyrosine Kinase activity (TK activity) is more frequently detectable in malignant cells than in normal cells (Hunter, Cell, 1987, 50:823).
More recently, it has been shown that Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) which possesses TK activity is over expressed in many human cancers such as brain, lung squamous cell, bladder, gastric, breast, head & neck, oesophageal, thyroid and the like. (W. J. Gullick, Brit. Med. Bull. 1991, 47:87). The receptor family includes four distinct members, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR or ErbB1), HER2 (ErbB2 or p185neu), HER3 (ErbB3) and HER4 (ErbB4 or tyro2). The HER (ErbB) family belongs to the subclass I receptor tyrosine kinase superfamily and consists of three distinct receptors, HER2, HER3, and HER4. Sequences of these receptors can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,884 (erbB3/HER3); U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,098 (HER4/Erb4 receptor); erbB2/HER2: Semba et al. (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:6497-6501 (designating the gene c-erbB-2); Coussens et al. (1985) Science 230:1132-1139 (designating the gene HER2); or King et al. (1985) Science 229:974-976.
Another receptor tyrosine kinase that is associated with cancer is the VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) receptor, the sequence of which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,671.
A strategy to inhibit EGFR-TK activity has been exploiting small synthetic molecules (Arteaga C L, Exp. Cell Res., 2003, 284:122-130). Certain quinazoline derivatives like gefitinib (IRESSA®, Astra Zeneca), erlotinib (OSI-774, TARCEVA®), PD-183805, PKI-166, EKB-569, PD-168393, CGP-59362 have been have been investigated for possible treatment options for several forms of cancer (Baselga et al., Oncology 2002, 63: 6-16, Cohen R B., Clin. Colorectal Cancer, 2003, 2:246-251). The European patent applications namely EP 0566226, EP0602851A1, EP 0635507 A1, EP 0635498 A1, EO 0520722 A1 disclose certain quinazoline derivatives possessing anti-cancer properties and that inhibit TK.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,475,001, 5,457,105, 5,616,582, 5,770,599, 5,747,498, and 6,900,221 disclose quinazoline derivatives with structural features such as a substituted anilino moiety in the 4-position and a variety of functionalized alkyl groups in the 6- and 7-positions of the quinazoline nucleus. Specifically U.S. Pat Nos. 5,457,105, 5,616,582 disclose N-(3-Chloro-4-fluorophenyl)-7-methoxy-6-[3-(4-morpholinyl)propoxy]-4-quinazolinamine (Gefitinib) and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,747,498 and 6,900,221 disclose N-(3-Ethylnylphenyl)-6,7-bis(2-methoxyethoxy)-4-quinazolinamine (Erlotinib). WO 2005/070909, WO 2007/060691 A2 and WO 06/090413 disclose variations in synthesis or polymorphic forms of these two popular anti-cancer drugs.
Nonetheless, there remains a need for additional cancer therapies.